Emigre: Cuba's red till Castro's dead

A Castro-free presidency doesn't necessarily equal a free Cuba, two of the country's natives from mid-Michigan say.

"This is being played up a little bit too much for what it really means," said Orlando J. Perez, a political science professor at Central Michigan University.

Perez, who emigrated from the island nation with his family in 1967 at age 2, said he will remain skeptical of a changed Cuba for some time.

"At least until he's officially dead," Perez said. "He's not dead."

Fidel Castro, Cuba's president for nearly a half-century, announced his retirement Tuesday. The move positions his brother, Raul Castro, to take over the top spot after the new parliament meets Sunday.

Perez said Fidel Castro's departure plans don't rule out the longtime leader's continued influence. His hands could keep a firm grip on the puppet strings, Perez said.

"In an interesting twist, Fidel Castro said nothing in his resignation letter about relinquishing his positions within the (Communist) party, which is where real power lies in the Cuban system," Perez said. "Fidel said in his letter that he will continue to write op-ed pieces, hoping that they can have some influence. Therefore, one has to question the extent to which Fidel is completely relinquishing his authority."

Juan Bustabad, the new Great Lakes Loons manager and a Cuban by birth, also remains wary.

"No, I won't go back," he said. "I don't know that Cuba will be free with his brother still in control."

Bustabad's ties to his native land are thin these days.

The 46-year-old former professional baseball player -- he was drafted by the Oakland A's and Boston Red Sox and had a nine-year career in the minor leagues -- fled the country with his parents and youngest sister when he was 3. They waited three months in Mexico for visas before arriving in Miami on July 4, 1965.

His aunt still lives in Cuba, although Bustabad has met her "a few times" when she visited the U.S. on a visa.

"We had to get out," he said. "Everybody was trying to get out. We didn't want to be part of communism."

Bustabad was born in Havana on Aug. 16, 1961, two years after a Castro-led revolution drove out then-President Fulgencio Batista.

"It's a beautiful country," he said. "When Fidel took over, and there was communism, it was all controlled."

Bustabad has yet to speak to his family about the pending power turnover. The Saginaw News reached him by phone at the Loons' spring training camp in Vero Beach, Fla., a state just 90 miles offshore from his homeland.

He doesn't have any memories of the nation. His impressions come from the stories told by his parents, who still live in Miami.

Perez has visited his native land several times, including in 2004 when he led 10 CMU students on a study abroad initiative that spanned Cuban cities such as Santa Clara and Havana.

"It was mainly focused on political, social and economic relations," Perez said. "It was an extremely informative and eye-opening experience for (the students). They found out (Cuban citizens) are very friendly, open and want people to come."

It was U.S. policy that kept the study abroad initiative from continuing into future semesters, he said. After that 2004 trip, the Bush administration set restrictions that made it more difficult to travel to the island, he said.

"President Bush has stated that as long as Raul Castro is in charge, the U.S. will not relax the embargo or open relations with the island," Perez said. "Perhaps a new U.S. president will be in a position to take advantage of the transition in Cuba to begin changing U.S.-Cuba relations toward a more productive footing."

If a political shift does arrive, both countries could see the change within five to 10 years, he said.

"On the Cuban side, the shift from less orthodox revolutionary leaders toward a younger generation who are less tied to the policies of confrontation with the U.S. might signal the beginning of a new era in relations between the two nations," Perez said.

As of Tuesday evening, he had yet to speak with family members -- including aunts and uncles who never left -- about the change. He speculated about the island nation's reaction.

"Castro, as a person, is very popular there," Perez said. "While they may oppose the regime, they do respect him as a national leader."

Perez thinks citizens will go through an adjustment period regardless of the meaning of Tuesday's announcement.

"There's a lot of fear among Cubans," he said. "This is a moment of uncertainty. They don't know what's going to happen next."